Paper-forming machine.



C. T. EAID.

. PAPER FORMING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED ocr. 29. 19m.

1, 1 82,36 1 Patented May 9, 1916.

2 SHEETSSHEET l.

w/r/vmsm- INVENTOR CWMM Wa 22k 15044 6 46 filo/ad ATTORNEY C. T. EAID.

PAPER FORMING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED OCT- 29. I914- 1,182,361 Patented May 9, 1916.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2. l4 \5 k WITNESSES: INVENTOR A TTOR/VEV UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CLAYTON T. EAID, OF PORTLAND, OREGON, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO JZ C. KELLER, OF PORTLAND, OREGON.

PAPER-FORMING MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 9, 1916.

Application filed October 29, 1914. Serial No. 869,234.

I '0 all whom it may concern Be it known that I, CLAYTON T. EAID, a citizen of the United States, residing at Portland. in the county of Multnomah and State of Oregon, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Paper-Forming Machines, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to the art of forming articles from what is known as liquid paper pulp. but it may also be used for forming articles from any material susceptible of being finely divided, and thus held in suspension in any liquid.

The objects I have in view and which I accomplish by my invention are to provide a machine of simple construction. economical to build and to operate, which shall receive raw material in the form of a finely divided material held in suspension in a liquid, remove said liquid from the material, press the material into any desired form, and deliver the material so pres :d in a continuous sheet, or a continuous sum-ession of detached articles as desired.

I accomplish the above objects by means of the device illustrated in the appended drawings, which are made a part of this application for Letters Patent, and in which like characters designate like parts throughout the several figures.

Figure 1 is a diagrammatical side elevation of my invention, with portions broken away to show the construction. Fig. 2 is a section taken on line A A of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a plan view of my invention portions being' broken away and shown in section to show the construction. Fig. 4 is a side elevation of the valve mechanism.

I provide a frame 1 upon which are mounted 'wheels 2 and 3, a mixing vat 4 and a continuous conveyer Vheel 2 is provided with a set of dies 6, and wheel 3 is provided with a corresponding set of dies 7 adapted to intermesh with dies 6, a space 8 equal to the desired thickness of the product being left between said dies. A spout 9 conveys the raw material from the vat 4 and deposits same upon one of the wheels, preferably the wheel 3 which carries the female dies as shown in Fig. 1. The vat 4 is preferably provided with what is known as a digester, or a mixing apparatus of any appropriate form, to keep the raw material constantly agitated and thus of a uniform consistency; and the spout-9 is provided with an appropriate valve to regulate the flow of the raw material. The said mixing apparatus and valve may be of any form well known to the art and as they are not claimed as a part of my invention, require no further mention or illustration.

The dies 6 and 7 may be formed in continuous sheets, or may be a series of dies mounted consecutively upon the periphery surface of their respective wheels 2 and 3. The dies may be secured to the wheels in any suitable and convenient manner; as shown the dies are formed in continuous sheets with edge portion 10 which are secured to the periphery of the wheel sides 12 and 13 as shown in Fig. ()ne of the pair of wheels is driven by a belt 11 and a pulley 15 secured to the shaft 16, upon which shaft the wheel 2 is also secured. Wheel 3 is secured to a shaft 17, and shafts 16 and 17 are supported upon frame 1 by suitable boxes 18. said boxes being of ordinary construction are omitted from Fig. 1 to avoid confusion,-but are shown in Fig. 3.

In order to confine the dies 6 and 7 in proper mesh, and to preserve space 8 between said dies continuously as the wheels revolve, it is necessary that said wheels shall be connected or geared together. I accomplish this by providing wheel 2 with a toothed rim l9, and Wheel 3 with a series of pins 20 adapted to engage with the teeth of rim 19, as shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3.

A system of ordinary gears connecting shafts 16 and 17 will perform the same function as the device above described, but the arrangement as shown is preferable, since the pitch diameter of the pins 20 may conveniently be made the same as the pitch diameter of the dies 7, and thus, by having the number of the dies 7 in mathematical relation to the number of pins 20, the dies are confined in proper mesh.

Flanges 21 are provided upon wheel 3 to provide a trough-like contour to the periphery of said wheel, adapted to receive the liquid raw material, confine same to the periphery of wheel. and thus deliver it to the point of inter-meshing of the dies 6 and 7.

A continuous conveyer 5 is adapted to receive the finished product, as shown at 22 in Fig. 1, and com'eys same away to a drying room or elsewhere as desired. Obviously conveyer 5 must travel with a speed a position exactly equal to the periphery speed of wheels 2 and 3 in order not to damage the finished product, which is more or less fragile until it has dried. I accomplish this by providing a pin gear 23, having pins adapted to engage with gear rim 19 on wheel 2. Said pin gear 23 is secured to a shaft '24, to which shaft is also secured a pulley A pulley 26 is secured to a shaft 27, upon which shaft is secured pulley 28 for conveyer belt 5. A crossed belt 29 connects pulleys 95 and 26, and by making each pulley. 25, 26 and 28 of a diameter equal to the pitch diameter of pin gear 23, I accomplish the propulsion of conveyer belt 5 at a speed equal to the periphery speeds of wheels 2 and 3.

The dies 6 and 7 are made of perforated or woven material, sufficiently fine to retain the solid matter suspended in the liquid, but to let the liquid pass through into the interior of the wheels. The wheels are divided into a plurality of compartments by means of diaphragms, said diaphragms being socured to the hubs 31 of the wheels, to the side plates 12 and 13 of the respective wheels, and to the dies 6 and 7 of the respective wheels, in a substantially air tight manner. By means of a suitable valve mechanism, to be later described, each compartment into which the wheels are divided by the diaphragms 30, is connected to a suction pump and a pressure pump, or .to a suction and pressure pump combined in one unit, as may be desired. Pipes 32 connect a corner of each compartment with a corresponding port 33 in flanges .34 of hubs 31. Each flange 34 also has plurality of ports 35, each connecting with one ofthe interior compartments of the respective wheel. A valve 36, having a face 37 adapted to press upon a face 38 of hub flanges 34, is mounted upon each shaft 16 and 17, said valve having ports 39 and 40 adapted to register with ports and respectively during a portion of each revolution of the wheel. Pipes 41 connect the ports 39 of each valve 36 into a common pipe 42 which leads to the suction pump. Pipes 43 connect the ports of each valve 36 into a common pipe 44 which leads to the pressure pump or blower. Springs 45 keep the valve faces 37 tight upon the faces 38 of flanges 34. Valves 36 are held stationary by the pipes 41 and 43.

The operation of my invention is as follows: The raw material, consisting of finely divided solid matter held in suspension in a liquid, is deposited in vat 4, and by means of spout 9 is conveyed to and deposited upon the periphery of wheel 2, between flanges 21. Wheels 2 and 3 are to be regarded as revolving according to arrows 46 and'47 re spectively. \Vhen the wheels have revolved to a position in which a diaphragm occupies Fig. l, the port 33, correof pipes 43 wheel.

sponding to the compartment immediately preceding diaphragm 30 in the direction of revolution, registers with port 39 in valve 36. This port being connected by pipes 41 and 42 to a suction pump the compartment is drained of all liquid that has passed through the dies. This suction also assists in causing the liquid to-pass through the dies and thus leave a deposit of the solid material upon the dies. 'hen the dies containing this deposit of solid material meet and mesh with the dies upon the opposite wheel. the solid matter is compressed into the desired shape or form, a further amount of liquid being thus forced through the dies into the compartment and drained away by the suction. The suction continues until diaphragm 30 has reached the position shown at 30. at which time the port 33 corresponding to the compartment immediately in advance of diaphragm 36* passes out of register with port 39 of valve 36, and suction from the compartment ceases. At this moment port 35 registers with port 40 of valve 36, which is connected by means and 44 to the pressure pump or blower. An air pressure is thus admitted to the compartment imnualiately preceding diaphragm 30" in the direction of rotation, sufiicient to blow off or dislodge from the dies the finished product, which will then be deposited by gravity upon the conveyer belt immediately below the wheel 2.

The above cycle of operation is continuous, repeating for each compartment of the The cycle of operation is practically the same for wheel 1, except that blowing or air pressure begins when a diaphragm is in position 30 and ends when said diaphragm has arrived in position 30, for the purpose of freeing the finished product from wheel 1 and causing same to adhere to wheel 2 until it is dislodged from same, to be deposited upon the conveyer. The suction from wheel 2 may be continued throughout the remainder of its revolution, or any portion thereof found necessary to remove such liquid as may be forced through the dies into the wheel.

My invention may be constructed with one wheel only. replacing wheel 1 with a/continuous belt having dies thereon, adapted to intermesh with dies upon wheel 2, and I wish to include in this application all such mechanical equivalents and substitutes as may be fairly considered to come within the scope and purview of my invention as defined in the appended claims.

My invention may be constructed of any materials and made any size deemed suitable for such a device. I having illustrated and described a preferred form of construction and combination of elements considered essential in materializing the same.

Having thus described my invention so that others skilled in the art to, which it relates may be enabled to construct and use the same, what I claim as new and wish to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a device of the character described, a duality of surfaces, adapted to receive a continuous relative motion of simultaneous approach and recedence, porous dies radially disposed upon each surface, the dies upon one surface adapted to intermesh with those upon the other, means to deposit material suspended in a liquid upon the periphery of said dies, means to Withdraw said liquid, means to remove said material from the (lies, substantially as described.

2. In a device of the character described, a duality of wheels. porous dies upon the periphery of said wheels. the dies upon one wheel adapted to intermesh with those upon the opposite wheel, means to deposit material suspended in a liquid upon said dies, diaphragms within said wheels dividing same into :1 plurality of compartments, valves adapted to connect said compartments alternately with a suction member and an air pressure member, a conveyer to receive said material, substantially as described.

3. In a device of the character described,

a duality of wheels, porous dies upon said Wheels, the dies upon one wheel adapted to intermesh with those upon the opposite wheel, means to cause constant relative motion and velocity of said wheels, means to deposit a material suspended in a liquid upon said dies, diaphragms within said wheels dividing the same into a plurality of compartments, valves communicating with said compartments and with pressure and suction units outside the wheels, a conveyer to receive said material, substantially as described.

4. In a device of the character described, a duality of wheels, porous intermeshing dies upon said wheels, valves communicating with the interior of said wheels, gears connecting said wheels, a conveyer adjacent said wheels, means to deposit material suspended in a liquid upon said dies, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I claim the foregoing as my own, I hereunto aflix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

CLAYTON T. EAID.

Witnesses:

CARL S. BROWN, DANIEL E. LOFGREN. 

